(Get) A Sporting Life

It is early days yet in the EPL, but of the teams I've seen play so far its the Reds who have looked most impressive. Today they are taking Bolton apart, though the real questions will be raised when they play the likes of Man U. and Chelsea. It has seemed the last couple of seasons that Liverpool didn't quite have the quality to challenge the top teams. I wouldn't be surprised if that changes this time around.

Last evening I made something new for the Mrs. and myself called a “Peg O’ My Heart”. It went over real well with the wife, and I liked it pretty well too. The recipe: 2 oz. dark rum 1 oz. lime juice 1/2 oz. grenadine Shake the ingredients in a shaker half-filled with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. No garnish. The drink is very fruit forward and more than a little sweet. This is in keeping with the time period of the drink. It pre-dates Prohibition when sweet drinks were far more common. In that it has more in common with 19th century cocktails than it does with the drinks of much of the 20th century. I personally didn’t find the sweetness cloying, but if you wanted to cut back on the sweetness making it with less grenadine (say two teaspoons) should work just fine. I’ve seen on the net where some “Peg O’ My Heart” recipes call for 1 1/2 oz. of light rum instead of the larger amount of the dark.  This is a mistake, and may date from the time when Bacardi company ...

...but I'm starting to loathe the NFL. The 365 days a year spent shoving it down my throat is beginning to grate.

Bill Hamid just got red carded on the worst call I've seen in years on a soccer field. A Toronto FC player lunged for a ball that as ultimately kicked into touch by a DC defender. The Toronto player, who never touched the ball, was subsequently run into by Hamid outside the area. This isn't a red card. Period. If you think it IS a red card you a retarded dumbfuck who ought to be raped by wild dogs. Why does MLS allow its product to be continually ruined in this manner? I waqs going to watch this game, but now? The hell with it. MLS has shown repeatedly they don't give a flying fuck for its fans. So why should I give a shit about any of it?

Cool story from Steve Goff : D.C. United goalkeeper Bill Hamid didn’t recognize the number when his cellphone rang Wednesday. So he let the call go to voice mail. “I thought it was a telemarketer or something,” he said after Thursday’s practice at RFK Stadium. Hamid ate lunch and then checked the message. It was from Juergen Klinsmann, the new U.S. men’s national soccer team coach. “I was shocked,” Hamid, 20, said. “As soon as I heard the voice, I knew it was him. I didn’t listen to the rest of the message. I put the phone down and was like staring into a far-off land. I started crying a little bit.” Hamid had been chosen to join the national team ahead of next Wednesday’s friendly against Mexico at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia — the first senior call-up of his career. Good for Hamid, and justly deserved. And, good for Klinsmann. I didn't blog on his appointment before, but I must say I was pleased US Soccer finally ended the courtship and consummated this relations...

Here's hoping this is the start of someting good: Carlisle 0 - 3 Notts County Notts County got their season off to a terrific start with a comfortable win at Carlisle. The hosts started in lackadaisical fashion and fell behind when Jeff Hughes struck from close range. Francois Zoko headed past his own keeper to double the Magpies' advantage before Lee Hughes capitalised on poor defending to make it 3-0 at half-time. County had been pretty active this summer, so I had some optimism going into this season. Of course, last year the Magpies started brightly as well, so I won't be getting ahead of myself.

...we consider this the unofficial official Stubby Clapp blog: You tell 'em Stubby!

He's outraged that Tony La Russa won't admit to a hectoring reporter he sent Motte out to drill Ryan Braun last night after Pujols nearly got drilled in the head by yet another foot inside pitch by a Brewers pitcher. Of course, La Russa isn't going to admit that. He'd be fined and/or suspended. Duh. The original reporter was a dumb fuck for pushing so hard in attempting to goad La Russa into getting himself in trouble with the league, and Bayliss is just as stupid for expecting La Russa to immolate himself. I also loved when the original hectoring reporter starting whining how La Russa "sent out your hardest thrower!" to hit Braun. I wish La Russa had stopped and asked him of he needed his blanky or his mommy if he was going to cry so.

Turns out the piece of shit umpire from last night was Rob Drake. Evidently he wasn't satisfied interfering with the game last night and attempted to do so again tonight. First, he called Freese out on a pitch 6 inches inside (which he hadn't called a strike ALL NIGHT LONG) when the Cards were in a critical situation. Then in a similar situation in extra innings he called Yadier Molina out on a pitch just as far inside. Yadi, who had been catching for 9 innings already knew that hadn't been a strike, and Yadi went ballistic. As well he should have. Drake put the Cards in a materially disadvantageous position, and seemingly did so on purpose. (Just as his blown call at first base last night didn't seem accidental. The play at first wasn't close. Neither were the pitches to Freese or Molina.) Yadi did bump Drake during the argument, a no-no which will cost him, but it was pathetic the way Drake pretended that Molina spit on him. Close ups on high definition televisio...

Watching the Cards vs. Brewers game.... or should I say the Cards vs. the first base umpire & the Brewers game. Cards just got screwed.... even the Brewers announcers stated "Not even close." This shitty call has materially affected the game as the Cards would have cut the score to 5-3 in the 6th innings AND still had Yadier Molina up with 2 on. That ump should be tied to a mound and devoured by ants. (And his bank accounts should be inspected to see if he is on the take. Yes, the call was that bad. It was not a bang-bang play.... Schumaker was nearly PAST THE BAG.) La Russa made the situation worse by not backing up his players. Really, there is no excuse for an umpire missing this call. None. I don't know who the fuck it is, and I don't care, all I know is he ought to not be an umpire... the thieving sack of shit.